


How To Win

by dontwakeme_causeimdreaming



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bar/Pub, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, I'm American please excuse any inaccuracies, Lawyer!Lily, Marauders' Era, Modern Marauders (Harry Potter), Unbeta'd, jily, jily au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-10
Packaged: 2019-10-01 21:55:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17252090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dontwakeme_causeimdreaming/pseuds/dontwakeme_causeimdreaming
Summary: Lily looks forward to every Thursday evening, where she and her friends go to her favorite pub to eat good food and drink strong drinks after a long work week. Recently, Lily has been particularly stressed out at work in the midst of her trial against Tom Riddle, a local politician who proposed a bill that would greatly disadvantage London's impoverished communities. In order to wind down from the stress of the trial, she and her friends play SINGO at the pub, where Lily repeatedly wins prizes. Her winning streak is challenged, however, when a certain messy haired man shows up and gives her a run for her money. Now, she struggles to not only win her lawsuit, but also her Thursday night game.





	1. "We're a Winner"- the Impressions (1968)

**Author's Note:**

> For those of you who don't know what SINGO is, it's like BINGO but instead of someone calling a number/letter combination (ie. B34), a song is played. The card has song titles instead of number/letter combinations. If you recognize the title of the song, you cross off the song on your sheet. The title isn't announced (in this version, anyway), so you have to recognize the songs in order to play. If you get five in a row, and show the DJ first, you win. 
> 
> I do not own the Marauders or Harry Potter characters in general. Those rights are reserved to JK Rowling. 
> 
> This is my first Jily fic, as well as my first multi-chap so I hope it goes well! Let me know what you think! Comments and kudos are always appreciated!
> 
> Happy New Years! :)

There are many differences between 18-year-old Lily and 28-year-old Lily.

 

For starters, at 18 Lily frequently woke up in a stranger’s sheets, having had too much to drink the night before and consequently suffering from alcohol induced amnesia. Now, she found herself on a dating website, scarcely going on dates because all of the good prospects were no longer single.

 

At 18, she slept on a twin bed in a one-room dormitory with a roommate that spoke too loudly in the mornings. Now, she rented a two bedroom flat overlooking the Thames by herself, able to wake up naturally on the weekends without overhearing the screaming Facetime conversations she’d grown accustomed to in her uni days.

 

Most notably, however, was that at 18, she drank £1 pints of Guinness on a Thursday night, dancing until the sun came up, yet still attending her 8 am. She could now only drink a pint or two before she’d wake up for work on Friday with a jackhammering headache. Now, Lily found herself at a sports’ bar every Thursday night, eating steak and cheese egg rolls and playing SINGO. She’d drink a few rounds, eat copious amounts of fried foods, and be home in bed by 10 pm once the game ended.

 

Although her life had lost its chaotic rhythm throughout the last decade, Lily still enjoyed her tame Thursday nights. She and her friends would arrive at The Golden Tankard after a long work week and claim their usual table, ready to spend the night doing her favorite activities: eat, drink, and win.

 

This particular Thursday, Lily marched over to her table and fell back unceremoniously into her chair. She heaved a dramatic sigh, blowing her fringe from her face.

 

Marlene looked up from reading the menu (though why she continued to read the menu when they ordered the same meal every week was beyond Lily). “Ok,” she ventured while sharing a look with Dorcas, “I’ll tackle this one. What’s wrong, Lil?”

 

Lily sighed again, but sat up properly to face her friends across the table. “It’s just so awful,” she began, pausing to take a sip of her beer. “In the last few years the population of homelessness has risen tremendously, yet Riddle is trying to make it illegal to sleep outdoors. Where the fuck else are people supposed to sleep if we’re not allocating funds to fight poverty and homelessness? It’s absurd!” She finished in a rush of breath, slamming her fist on the table for emphasis.

 

Dorcas reached across the table and squeezed Lily’s hand, and Marlene muttered under her breath, “the bloody arse”.

 

Before Marlene could continue spitting obscenities, Dorcas replied, “Just remember why you became a barrister in the first place, yeah? You wanted to help people, and I know you will. Plus, you’re the most competitive person I know. If anyone can win a lawsuit like this, it’s you, Lils”.

 

Lily smiled gratefully, but was saved from having to respond when the DJ’s voice came over the microphone and signaled the start of the game. Tonight’s game was 60s music themed, which was luckily Marlene’s specialty. Before Dion could even sing the first line of “Runaround Sue”, Marlene had put an X through the song title and whispered the name to her friends conspiratorially. For good measure, she peered over her shoulder to ensure no one else was listening to her.

 

Within 15 minutes, Lily only needed 1 song to have 5 in a row on her card sheet. With her free space, “Runaround Sue”, “I’m a Believer”, and “Wild Thing” already crossed out, she waited on the edge of her seat for the DJ, Ted Tonks, to play the next song, her leg bouncing in anticipation.

 

He played “My Girl,” and Lily practically growled when she examined her card and didn’t see the track. She tapped her pen against the sticky tabletop, and signaled to the waitress for another round. From the table next to hers, a young boy pushed out his chair and skipped toward Ted, card extended. He skimmed through the tracks, and shook his head apologetically as he returned the card to the boy, sans prize.

 

The game continued, and Lily didn’t even need Marlene whispering in her ear to identify the next song. As soon as the first note of “Build Me Up Buttercup” blared from the speaker, Lily jumped up from the table, pushing her chair out so quickly she knocked over the man behind her.

 

She only spared him an apologetic glance before running up towards Ted. He reviewed her sheet, and nodded approvingly as he handed her a gift certificate for the pub. She returned to her seat, where her friends shamelessly stared at the man Lily had knocked over.

 

He sat at the table across from their own along with a group of his mates, who were snickering as he rubbed his elbow and glowered. Lily followed their line of sight, and locked eyes with the man. Despite his sullen expression, she couldn’t help but notice how attractive he was, with his unruly mop of black hair, strong jawline, and bright hazel eyes. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, and raised a challenging eyebrow in her direction.

 

In response, she held up her certificate and shrugged with a smirk.

 

Ted’s voice came over the speaker again, alerting the customers that the next round was about to begin. Lily quickly looked away from the man, pouring all of her focus into memorizing her new card before the game officially began. This card sported classics such as “Wannabe”, “Wonderwall”, “Barbie Girl”, “No Scrubs”, “Mr. Jones”, and “Waterfalls”. Before Ted could even announce the theme of this round, Lily had already identified it as 90s favorites. Although she wasn’t an intern at a record label like Marlene, Lily knew she would be able to seamlessly identify the hits from her childhood. She smiled involuntarily upon realizing her advantage over some of the younger customers at the bar.

 

Within a few minutes, however, her mood had rapidly declined. Ted had played nearly a dozen songs, yet Lily still only had the free space crossed off of her sheet. Marlene hardly faired better, having only 2 songs crossed out, but Dorcas’s luck proved better, as she had 4.

 

Ted played the next song, and Lily cheered gleefully once she realized it was on her sheet. She had never been so happy to hear "the Macarena" in her life…that was until Ted’s voice came over the speaker, however, announcing someone had won this round, saying he’d be back for two more games next Thursday. Lily looked up in dismay, and locked eyes with the man she had knocked over earlier. He shot her a smug grin, mimicking her earlier actions and holding up his gift certificate for her to view.

 

She let out an indignant cry, her mouth agape and eyes narrowed. As she glared, Ted came over to her table to collect his pens. He patted Lily on the shoulder, and assured, “Great game tonight, Lily. Everyone else is hard pressed to win when you’re around”.

 

She smiled, and squeezed his hand on her shoulder. Before Lily could respond, he continued, “Have you met my cousin? He and his mates come by every week too. In fact, I think his friend James here may give you a run for your money”.

 

When Lily turned towards where Ted was gesturing, she again locked eyes with the man, James apparently. He gave her a wave, and began to pivot away, but was grabbed around the neck and forced into a headlock by one of his friends. His friend dragged James closer to where Lily and Ted stood.

 

As the pair got closer, Lily surveyed them appraisingly. His friend had shoulder length black hair and high cheekbones. His eyes were a shade of cool grey, paired with long, thick eyelashes, and his lips were stretched into a permanent smirk. While it was evident that he was handsome, in an unattainable, aristocratic manner, Lily found herself more strongly drawn toward James. Up close, she could see laugh lines etched around his bright eyes, and now that he wasn’t glowering she admired his straight white smile.

 

James’ friend shot Lily a similarly appraising expression, then he outstretched his hand and offered her an arrogant grin. “Sirius Black,” he announced. “It’s truly a pleasure to meet you. I admire anyone who can knock Prongs here into his place. What did you say your name was?”

 

“I didn’t,” Lily huffed in response.

 

Unfazed, Sirius turned toward Ted, casually slinging an arm around the older man’s shoulder. “Introduce us, won’t you, Teddy?” he asked.

 

Ted looked quickly between Lily and Sirius, and then revealed to the latter, “This is Lily Evans. Lily here is just bent out of shape that she didn’t win the second game of SINGO.” He flashed Lily a friendly smile as he spoke in an attempt to convey his joking demeanor.

 

Lily rolled her eyes, but returned his smile sheepishly. James spoke up for the first time, proffering his hand toward Lily as well. “James Potter,” he said as he ran a hand through his messy curls. “Good match earlier. It’s not often I find someone with the same amount of enthusiasm for pub games,” he continued with a chuckle.

 

She scoffed, then answered, “You have some nerve complimenting me when you stole that second match right out from under me.” She narrowed her eyes, and then continued in a mocking tone, “Such great sportsmanship!”

 

James looked taken aback, and spluttered indignantly before arguing, “Poor sportsmanship? You’re the one who pushed over a fellow customer on her way to win a £10 gift certificate. It’s not like you’d have won a trip to meet the bloody Queen. It’s barely enough for a plate of chips and a pint!”

 

Instead of dignifying James with a response, Lily turned on her heel and marched toward where Marlene and Dorcas stood, watching amusedly. Dorcas linked her arm through Lily’s as Marlene shrugged on her jumper. Dorcas, barely concealing her laughter, whispered into Lily’s ear, “You do realize you didn’t have a single square besides the free space crossed out that second game, don’t you?”

 

Lily buried her face in her friends shoulder, snickering in response. “The truth very well doesn’t matter,” she proclaimed. “What matters is that he thinks I could’ve won.”

 

“Spoken like a true barrister,” Marlene muttered as she waved over her shoulder toward Ted, and then ran to catch up with her friends.

 

“Don’t worry, Lils,” Dorcas offered as they stalked away. “You’ll definitely win next week, yeah?”

 

Lily spared a glance back over her shoulder to James, seeing that he had now left Ted and rejoined his other two mates at the table. He felt her gaze, and looked up, his arrogant smirk back in place. He wiggled his fingers in a wave.

 

She decided then that she’d never lose again, especially if winning meant she would smack that smirk off of his smug face. Lily faced forward again, marching out of the Golden Tankard with a renewed excitement for the following Thursday.


	2. "Sweet Victory" - David Glen Eisley (2005)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily, Marlene and Dorcas attend the Golden Tankard for the second week in a row, hoping to play SINGO. When Lily arrives late after a grueling day preparing for her trial, she receives an unwelcome surprise at the restaurant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 2! The chapter titles are names of songs from the decade that corresponds to the SINGO category in the chapter. I do not own the songs, nor do I own Harry Potter. The songs are owned by the singers (credited in the chapter titles) and JK Rowling owns the rights to Harry Potter.
> 
> I hope you enjoy! Comments and kudos are appreciated :)

The following Thursday, Lily marched into the Golden Tankard and immediately moved toward her usual table. She roughly sat back in her usual chair, and rested her elbows on the table, head in her hands.

 

Her week at the office had been exorbitantly tough this week, and she wanted nothing more than to relax with her best friends and have a few drinks. Riddle had presented statistics to the court this week, suggesting that homelessness drives down property values by causing neighborhood residents to feel distraught and unsafe. Lily had to physically restrain herself from snorting outright in court. Judge Cornelius Fudge (or that blithering idiot, as Lily preferred to think of him) had nodded along to Riddle’s testimony, not looking at all sickened by his lack of humanity and blatant greediness.

 

So when Lily got to the bar, she rested her head on the cool plastic table while she took a minute to compose herself. A hesitant tap on her shoulder brought her back to reality, and she locked eyes with a young redheaded boy sitting next to her.

 

They stared at each other for a moment with matching quizzical expressions, neither saying a word. She was broken from her confusion by the sound of Marlene’s cackle. Lily looked across the space where the barmaids were hustling through, and caught sight of her two friends sitting with a group of men.

 

Upon closer inspection, Lily realized her friends had forsaken their typical spot in order to join James and his mates. The bloody traitors!

 

She reluctantly left her favorite seat, muttering a sheepish apology to the family whose dinner she’d interrupted.

 

When Lily reached the other table, she plopped down in a huff. She was immediately met with stares from the members of her table. She locked eyes with the scraggly-haired man from last week.

 

Lily cocked her head to the side, giving James an appraising once-over. “Wow, Marlene,” she declared, “You sure seem to have let yourself go. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you look like a middle aged bloke”.

 

Looking affronted, James scoffed, “Middle-aged?!” while Marlene elbowed Lily in the ribs.

 

“Yes, very funny Lils. You remember James and Sirius from last week, yeah?” Dorcas asked. Lily nodded in response, looking less than pleased with her eyes narrowed and jaw clenched.

 

“Well, good,” Marlene replied, pointedly ignoring Lily’s sour expression. She gestured across the table to where a man that Lily hadn’t seen before sat next to Sirius. He had sandy blonde hair and bright blue eyes, but the most striking thing about his appearance was the large scar extending from the corner of his mouth to the top of his cheekbone. “Oh, and this is their friend, Remus Lupin. Sirius and I decided that we should all sit together this week. You know, so that there’s no cheating by knocking over your competition with chairs and whatnot” she said, chucking to herself.

 

Remus extended his hand out to Lily, and they shook. He flashed her a friendly, genuine smile and Lily felt herself warm up to the third man immediately. “Marlene tells us you’re a barrister, Lily?” he politely wondered.

 

She twirled a strand of her red hair around a finger, suddenly feeling guilty at her outburst upon her arrival. Nevertheless, she returned Remus’ smile and responded, “Yeah, that’s why I’m late actually. I’ve been going completely mad working on an important case.”

 

Sirius, who had been slouching casually in his seat, shot up as if someone had lit a fire underneath him. “When you say important case, you’re not talking about the Riddle case. Are you?” he implored urgently.

 

Before Lily could respond, the barmaid came over to the table, bringing a large pitcher of beer as well as six glasses. She set down a large plate of nachos in front of the group too. After taking the group’s dinner orders, the barmaid disappeared and Marlene eagerly dug in, moaning dramatically while she took her first bite.

 

She opened her eyes once she finished chewing, and was met with five pairs of eyes looking back her, their faces all wearing matching barely-suppressed grins. Marlene shrugged, unembarrassed, and picked up another cheese-covered crisp. She moaned louder, and her friends couldn’t contain their grins this time as their laughter spilled from inside them.

 

Once they caught their breath and their fits of giggling subsided, Lily turned back toward Sirius. She cautiously responded, “Uh, yeah… yeah, I am talking about the Riddle case. Why do you ask?”

 

He slammed his fist on the table in response, then swiveled his head around, searching the restaurant frantically. Finally, his eyes lit up like bulbs on a Christmas tree, and he wolf-whistled loudly. All eyes in the restaurant turned to him, and Sirius yelled, “Hey, Ted! Get over here!” towards where Ted Tonks was setting up his DJ booth in the corner by the bar.

 

Ted placed the wires he was untangling gently down onto the table, and began to walk toward his cousin’s table. Lily shot Marlene and Dorcas a questioning look while Sirius waited for Ted to approach.

 

Conversation throughout the restaurant slowly began again as Ted arrived at the table, where he casually leaned against James’ chair and faced the group with his dark arms crossed across his chest. He looked expectantly toward Sirius.

 

“You’ll never guess what Lily is doing!” He announced excitedly. Without waiting for acknowledgment from Ted, Sirius blurted, “You know what, never mind. I’m just gonna tell you. She’s working on the Riddle law suit!” He bounced his leg up and down as he spoke, looking boyish with his face-splitting grin.

 

Ted’s face broke out into a grin, too, upon hearing this. “Dromeda’s going to love this,” he explained with a chortle. “Ever since Bellatrix sent her all those death threats when we eloped, she’s been waiting to watch Bella receive her karmic punishment”.

 

Dorcas’ pupils dilated in surprise, and she choked on the sip of beer she’d drunk. Lily pounded her back as Dorcas coughed. When she regained her breath, she looked toward Ted, her eyes still wide. “Bellatrix? As in Bellatrix Lestrange? Riddle’s barrister?”

 

“One in the same,” Ted replied with a bitter smile. “She’s my sister-in-law.”

 

Marlene quickly looked toward her friends out of the corner of her eye, and the three of them exchanged concerned glances. Marlene put down the crisp she had been about to eat, and ventured, “Your… sister-in-law? You fellas aren’t Riddle supporters, are you?”

 

Sirius let out a barking laugh, as if Marlene accusing him of supporting the known white supremacist was the funniest thing imaginable. “Fuck no,” he gasped between laughs. “Bella’s my cousin. Sadly, I couldn’t pick my family. Though, I reckon my family feels the same about me. My mother beat me with an umbrella the day she kicked me out, and I haven’t seen any one of them since,” he finished. Ted coughed abruptly, causing Sirius to chuckle again. “Haven’t seen any of them except Ted, Dromeda, and Dora, of course.“

 

Ted excused himself to continue setting up for SINGO, promising to text his wife and tell her about Lily’s work on the trial.

 

Everyone else sat in silence at the table, with Lily, Marlene and Dorcas unsure how to respond to Sirius’ confession. Dorcas, ever the kindest, reached across the table and squeezed his hand, and he smiled appreciatively at her.

 

“If you were kicked out at 16, where did you go? If you don’t mind my asking,” Dorcas asked tentatively.

 

A smile brightened Sirius’s expression, making him impossibly more handsome. “I went to James’, of course”.

 

Lily, Marlene and Dorcas snapped their heads toward James, where he stood with half a crisp protruding from his mouth. A blush covered his cheeks as he held his hand in front of his mouth, preventing the others from seeing him chew.

 

“Your family doesn't support Riddle?” Marlene enquired, directing her question toward James.

 

Through a mouthful of crisps, he mumbled, “Nah”.

 

“He’s just being modest,” Remus interjected. “Euphemia and Fleamont, his parents, actually financially contribute significantly to those who advocate against him”.

 

Lily locked eyes with a bashful looking James, finding a new respect for the messy-haired man across from her. She offered him a genuine smile, which he eagerly returned. Sirius and Marlene exchanged self-satisfied smirks with one other.

 

Ted’s voice came over the loudspeaker, signifying the start of the first round before Lily had the chance to express her gratitude toward James’ parents. The first round was early 2000s hits, and after Lily crossed off her free space, she attentively listened, effectively ending all conversation.

 

Throughout the game, Lily kept raising her eyes slightly to steal glances at James across the table. He slapped the table whenever he didn’t have a song title on his card, and he pumped his arm into the air excitedly whenever he was able to cross out a square, as if he had won £1,000,000 rather than SINGO.

 

When she looked up from her card after crossing out ‘N Sync’s “Bye, Bye, Bye,” she noticed James was peering at her too. The tips of his ears tinged red, and he rapidly looked back toward his sheet on the table in front of him. Lily smiled softly, and returned her attention toward the game.

 

In the end, neither James nor Lily won that first round of SINGO. Though neither would admit it, both were distracted by their furtive glances, and consequently they didn’t hear “Get the Party Started” by P!nk play, which would’ve guaranteed Lily the win.

 

In between the first and second round of SINGO, while Ted passed out the new cards, the barmaid distributed their food orders around the table. The girls split their egg rolls and chips, having refused to give up their Thursday night tradition of binging on fried food, while the boys each devoured individual pizzas. They ate quietly, no one daring to utter a word in between bites, as if they were worried their food would disappear from their plates if they didn’t eat as quickly as possible.

 

Lily had barely finished her last egg roll when Ted’s voice sounded through the pub again, announcing the commencement of the second, and final, game of the night.

 

As usual, Marlene knew the title of the song within seconds of the first chord being played. She whispered covertly to her table, proud that she was able to show-off her musical knowledge.

 

After ten minutes, Dorcas and Remus still didn’t have a single square crossed off their sheets, and the pair decided to quit the game and converse quietly amongst themselves while their more competitive friends continued playing.

 

Sirius and Lily were only two squares away from winning, while James and Marlene each boasted needing only one more song title to win.

 

When “It Wasn’t Me” by Shaggy played over the speakers, James flew up from his chair like a jet plane at takeoff. He bumped his knee on the edge of the table as he extricated himself from his chair, but he hobbled toward the DJ booth anyway. Sirius sat doubled over in his chair, struggling to breathe between his fits of laughter upon watching James drag his now lame leg just to win a gift voucher.

 

Ted’s voice rang throughout the pub, announcing the end of tonight’s games. Then, James ambled back toward his table, proudly displaying his prize for everyone to see as he grinned like the Cheshire cat.

 

His leg still couldn’t support his whole weight, and when he became ambitious and decided to smugly dance toward the table, James tripped, slamming head first onto the edge of the table. His half-drunk pint of beer splashed across the already-sticky surface of the table and landed on Lily’s lap, soaking her jeans.

 

She yelped as she pushed her chair from the table, trying to escape the dripping liquid. In vain, Lily tried to dab the beer dry on her jeans, but no amount of napkins seemed to absorb the drink.

 

James leaned towards Lily, throwing napkins towards her lap and apologizing profusely. His handsome face turned a shade of crimson Lily didn’t know was humanly possible, and his pupils were so dilated his normally hazel eyes were black.

 

Sirius couldn’t contain his sniggering, so James exasperatedly pitched a balled up napkin at his useless friend's head. Sirius expertly dodged the projectile, but bit his lip to contain his laughter.

 

With a large wet mark across the front of her pants, Lily placed her contribution of money onto the table underneath an empty glass and marched off. Marlene and Dorcas followed suit, depositing money on the table and bounding out the door after Lily.

 

Marlene looked over her shoulder before her departure, quickly expressing with a shrug, “Sorry, guys. See you next week?”

 

She didn’t wait for a response before she too was out the pub’s door. Remus looked toward James, who sat with a shell-shocked expression, mouth agape and eyes wide. With a small chortle, Remus clapped James on the back and quipped, “Better luck next time, mate”.


End file.
